Real Weddings: A Two-Wedding Weekend for One Creative Couple

Yes, Rebekah Ho happens to be Vancouver magazine’s digital marketing manager—but we’re featuring her perfectly personal wedding for non-nepo-baby reasons, promise. She and her now-husband, comedian and Birds and the Beets manager Josh Romyn, tied the knot two years ago with two beautifully curated, deeply personal ceremonies that have us jealous we didn’t know her yet.

So consider this a chance for us all—readers and  editors alike—to vicariously enjoy each of the little details that made the couple’s Vancouver-based celebration of love so unique. Over one weekend, they celebrated with their creative friend group at the enchanting Cecil Green Park House and also honoured Ho’s Chinese heritage with a tea ceremony at Grand Crystal Seafood Restaurant, surrounded by family. Here’s how the couple pulled off two uniquely beautiful days with minimal drama. (“Make sure to mention I wasn’t a bridezilla at all,” jokes Ho.)

Photos by Jenae Somedays.

One Stop Shop

Cecil Green Park House was the ideal venue for Ho and Romyn’s more personalized wedding day because it let them do everything under one roof. “I wanted my wedding to be my perfect day, which meant not waking up early and not spending any time in a car,” says Ho. “I just wanted to maximize time to hang out with people.” They got ready there, did their ceremony and photos outdoors and had the reception indoors.

Tasteful Touches

The couple rented decor from Bespoke to decorate the tables; the company also provided furniture for a lounge in the sunroom (that just so happened to make for a beautiful photo op). Haneu Haneu created custom vessels for the flowers from Petal Talk. “I wanted to them to be functional beyond just being vases,” says Ho. She and Romyn still use them as dishes and catchalls at home.

Colour Story

The bridal party was given a colour palette, and each chose their own look. Rust reds, mustard yellows and tans brought a ’70s vibe to the group. Graphic designer and friend Ollie Warman did the “branding” for the day with a retro-cool vibe to match.

Living Memory

Ho’s veil was from Etsy, and is dotted with little pearls. She also wore some of her late mother’s jewellery, like a pearl necklace. Mom was also commemorated by a reserved seat at the ceremony, where Ho placed one of her dresses.

Playing Dress Up

Ho had a total of three outfits for the Cecil wedding: the drapey Aesling dress for the ceremony was from Lovenote, with shoes from Alohas; her fitted reception dress was a vintage Vera Wang, sourced online from Montreal store Singulier; during the dance party, she slipped into a look from In the Mood for Love. “I wanted something sparkly and fun, something that felt like a party.”

Tie One On

Romyn carefully thrifted the pieces for his looks from Burcu’s Angels and Woo Vintage, though he couldn’t quite find the “fat tie” he had in mind. A friend volunteered to sew one for him—dropping it off on their lawn out the car window as she zoomed to another event. Romyn’s shoes were from Solovair.

Film Crew

In lieu of a photo booth, they put disposable cameras out on the tables, despite what they’d heard about the film often not turning out well. “Even the bad photos are good because they’re capturing the vibe. I loved developing these and seeing everyone’s moments because there’s so much you don’t get to be a part of in your wedding,” says Ho.

It Takes Two

Dual ceremonies allowed everyone to get what they wanted out of the weekend. “I heard from a lot of people that the most stressful part of wedding planning is everyone’s input, so I decided to have a separate day for my dad to invite all the people he wanted,” laughs Ho. “But it was so nice to see so many people there for me and showing up because they really love him. It was really fun.” Her red dress is from Ochi Chinese Fashion in Chinatown; Romyn’s outfit is from Etsy.

Glitz and Glamour

Vancouver jewellery designer Kara Yoo made matching wedding bands for the couple: two chains to symbolize how they’re linked together. Her engagement ring, meanwhile, was from Era design, and his was from Mondo Mondo. Ho’s earrings were from Ora-C, while the necklace was from Melanie Auld. Ho’s makeup was done by Iki Lee, with hair by Dylan Beatch.

The Takeaway

There were sandalwood-scented Wicked Wax candles on every table and throughout the venue, giving the event a signature scent. Every guest took home their own candle as a thank-you gift.

Sweet Touch

When Ho and Romyn first met, she was working at an ice cream shop and he was a barista—so affogatos (espresso over ice cream) seemed like the ideal dessert to serve guests at their wedding to commemorate their union. The venue had some strict rules about which food vendors were allowed, but Ho wanted La Glace to be there so badly they decided to pay extra to make it happen. “It was my hill to die on,” she laughs. (Lalo-Li-Pop made their Hong Kong milk-tea wedding cake.)